Qatar Solar Energy signs agreement with Kazakhstan energy company

Wednesday, 02 July 2014 08:07

CEO of QSE Salim Abbassi; QSE board member Kamel Ounadjela; and chairman of Kazatomprom’s solar division, Astana Solar, Azat Betekbaev conclude the signing ceremony in Astana, KazakhstanQatar Solar Energy (QSE) has signed an agreement with Kazakhstan-based energy company Kazatomprom for the supply of solar grade silicon, which will accelerate Qatar’s renewable energy production

In line with the deal, Kazatomprom will supply QSE with the silicon, a raw material used to make solar panels, at what the Qatari company has described as an extremely competitive fixed cost over the next 10 years.

Speaking at a press conference in Kazakhstan, the CEO of QSE Salim Abbassi said, “This partnership allows QSE to secure the entire value chain from raw material to smart-grid development and provides a powerful foundation from which QSE will further expand its production capacity to 2.5 GW.”

QSE claims that the agreement, signed by Abbassi and the chairman of Kazatomprom’s solar division Azat Betekbaev in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, will also help boost the company’s solar power purchase agreements (PPA) in Kazakhstan.

In signing this agreement QSE intends to secure Qatar’s position as a leader in the renewable energy market, particularly considering the predicted growth in the global demand for solar energy in the future.

“The steady supply of quality raw material is crucial to QSE’s mission to deliver on the promise of low cost and affordable renewable energy for populations across the world,” Abbassi added.

Kazatomprom, a state-owned company and one of the world’s largest producers of uranium, has worked in the renewable energy sector for the past five years. According to QSE, the company carries out various high-tech sustainable energy projects, including the production of photovoltaic modules, the production of ingots, and solar grade silicon production.